The beast lies within a stone's throw
by LabyrinthSage
Summary: -destiny determined by wrist & womb-


_**The beast lies within a stone's throw**_

 _ **-destiny determined by wrist & womb-**_

 **Chapter 1**

„Do not look down, do not look down", I told myself when I was crossing the shaking bridge. I felt the humid wood under my bare feet as I kept running. My surrounding was dark, though few rays of sunlight were coming through the crevice far above.

So I continued my way through the giant caves where once was my city.

Finally I made it across the bridge. A wavering torch was on the wall next to the door that I was facing now. I lifted up the door and found myself in a spacious room.

It was full of creatures. Creatures lurking around in the search of blood. Beasts. They looked gaunt and starved. In one corner I could see one of them nibbling at a dead beast's leg. Most of them were hairy and had penetrating green eyes.

They noticed the little light filling the room as I had opened the door.

I didn't have much time to react.

„Oh, why?", I thought to myself as anger was creeping up in my whole body. I heard a nasty high scream and barely realized that it was mine. The room started to get filled with blood, but my eyes started to get filled with tears. I went on and wielded my sharp weapons aggressively.

The beasts weren't the reason why I was slaying them with pure rage. The reason was the reason itself. Why they existed. Why they evolved. Those poor creatures once were human beings. Maybe they wanted to flee from my city and now they were here. Maybe among them there were people that I used to know. And I was killing them.

Maybe I was the reason why they were here... And, why they were beasts...

Tears of guilt ran down my bloody cheek as I was standing in the middle of the room, breathing heavily. Now I was the only being that was breathing in this room.

„Do not think about it, do not think about it", I told myself when I was walking to the next door. I was about to open it when I suddenly heard an echo of steps.

 **Chapter 2**

I turned around. At the other side of the room I saw a black shape standing in the frame of the entrance. I had to narrow my eyes. That figure didn't have the shape of a beast. I was standing there in big surprise. But how could it be a human if everyone had become a beast?

Almost everyone...

The one standing at the other side had probably not noticed me yet. They entered the room with very slow, careful steps. Now I could recognize a torch and a spear-kind of weapon in each of their hands.

All of a sudden I heard them whisper. I couldn't understand what was said. But I was astonished to hear that it was a woman's voice. I was so perplexed that I hadn't noticed the light of the torch coming closer. I then saw a sudden movement, like a wince, and at that moment I realized that the person has seen me.

I didn't know what to do. I was like paralyzed. In the low light I saw the end of that weapon slowly moving down, pointing at the direction where I was standing.

In the next second I heard a shot, echoing in the tall room, and I noticed my body throwing itself sideways. My hands came in touch with the earthy ground, but at the next moment I was standing again.

I now could see that she was wearing a thick black garb binded with rope and a black hooded helmet. She was obviously a hunter.

She got in position for another attack. "No, wait!", I screamed. A frightening screech filled the room. "Ugh, pull yourself together", I thought. She was fast. It was difficult to concentrate on the hunter, but also on myself. I used the short pause of her attacks to take a deep breath. "No! Don't attack me, huntress!"

 **Chapter 3**

And really, she stopped, assumably out of surprise. "What? Oh god, that was the last thing I expected now!" She hesitated for a moment and stared at me.

"I won't do anything to you", I eventually said. She still didn't say a thing and took a couple of steps backwards, her weapon still pointing at me. I bent down and put my weapons on the floor. "Please, huntress. I am sure we both pursue a similar goal." - "And that is?", she asked in a provocative tone.

"To survive and put an end to the scourge of the beast." - "Ah, really? And how? Like this? I suppose you are responsible for this massacre?", she spread out her left hand where she was holding the torch. I noticed a sudden, slight shiver inside me as I saw the flame. I tried to concentrate on something else. "You did this, right? Only a beast can kill like that. Why should I trust you?"

"No!", I shouted with indignation. My voice was husky. "If I were a beast, I would have killed you right away instead of trying to talk to you. I didn't mean to slay them like that. I was just... angry... At myself." - "What on earth are you talking about?!", she asked. "Ah, nothing. I... made a mistake. And it's about time to make amends. I have no time to lose. Would you mind coming with me?" Without waiting for an answer, I picked up my weapons and walked towards the next door.

"Hey! Where are you going?" - "We have to go this direction."

"We?!" There was a slight laughter in her voice. "Yes. Where else had you intended to go?", I asked rhetorically. She hesitated. "Uhm... My village hasn't been affected yet. I want it to stay like that. Of course the news about the outbreak of the beast scourge had spread quickly. So we drummed up a group of hunters who were willing to fight. Each of them went to a different place to hunt beasts and to find a way to end it before it become unstoppable. Me and two others decided to go here. Me and one of them decided to split, I don't know where he is... And the other one... we had to leave behind..." She looked down on the ground. I felt a sting in my heart. "Oh, I... I am really sorry. It hurts me a lot to hear about it. About every loss. You can't imagine..." I ceased talking. She took a deep breath and looked up again. "It's ok."

"Please come with me", I asked her again. "We will put an end to this horrible affliction." - "But tell me how?" - "Follow me. We don't have much time left. I am looking for something and you could help me find it", I replied. "And what on earth are you looking for?" - "The Yharnam stone."

 **Chapter 4**

Even though more and more beasts came along our way as we progressed forward, it was very quiet when there were none.

"I still don't know why I'm going with you", the female hunter said after a while. "I still don't trust you", she continued. "I guess it's only because I can see that there's some kind of sadness in your eyes." I said nothing. Now we were entering some kind of tunnel. "Pay attention There's a beast around the corner", I told her. "My instincts tell me that. And I can smell it."

"Ah yes, now I can smell it, ...TOO!" She rammed the end of her spear into the small grey beast's torso. She did it fast and the beast sank to the ground, lifeless. It probably had a sudden, painless death. Hopefully...

"Are you coming?" I heard her ask. She had already moved on and was waiting for me at the end of the small tunnel. I turned my gaze away from the poor being on the floor and followed her.

"Maybe we should have kept it alive", I mumbled. "Uhm no, it would have followed us, those small beasts are the most annoying ones." I said nothing. "I know that sometimes it's hard to ignore the fact that they once were humans. But we have no other possibility. And I don't want the scourge to spread out even more", she insisted.

"I am from here", I eventually said, quietly. "Oh... I understand." She looked at me. "So you must be the last one of this city who hasn't become a... uhm, beast... the last one from here who survived." There was a moment of silence. "Uhm, but you said we'll soon reach Muteru Hill, right?" - "Pthumeru Ihyll", I corrected her, "Yes." - "I've never heard about that place." I had the sense that she was trying to divert my mind, which was nice of her and indeed made me feel a little better. It was a relief that I didn't have to go through this here all alone.

"And you still haven't told me yet what the Yharnam stone is and what it has to do with the beast plague." She opened another door. This seemed to be another, bigger, room, and we carefully entered. "I think there are no beasts he- ah, now I almost tripped over that dumb stone in the ground!" I pulled her back. "Be careful, this is a trap", I explained. "See those statues on the other side? A shot will be triggered if you step on here." She looked at them, obviously very surprised. "I saw a couple of those before, but I never realized that they're traps!" - "I paid attention that you didn't step on any", I said and smiled for a moment.

"The Yharnam stone is the source of the beast plague. Simply said we have to find it and destroy it. It is some kind of blood stone that... how can I say... radiates something that is responsible for the outbreak and spread of the beast scourge", I explained.

"Hmm... sounds quite simple indeed. How big is it? Is it easy to destroy?", she wanted to know. "It's not a large stone . However, I don't know in what condition it is now. Also, it is guarded. By at least one person, but I assume that there's a big amount of beasts and traps awaiting us before we encounter its actual, final guard."

Her face conveyed confusion. "Queen Yharnam keeps watch over it", I added.

"Queen Yharnam? Wow! So she's down there? One second... oh god, then she has probably become a beast!? Why is she there and not in her palace in Yharnam? She would have been safe there, I heard that the scourge hasn't reached the city yet."

I could see the hunter's eyes behind the grid of her helmet, she seemed to be reflecting and trying to understand the whole matter. "Oh god, the queen is affected..." - "Not only that. Most likely she discovered it in the depths of Pthumeru Ihyll and got the stone rolling, so to say", I added and looked into the void.

My companion paused walking. "Ahh, but we could save her! Right? We'll get the stone and put it all to an end! ...But... two things I still don't understand at all...", she looked at me intensely, "First, why on earth did the queen leave her safe palace in Yharnam and went to Pthumeru Ihyll? To look for the stone? Why should she do that? And second... Why do YOU know all this?"

 **Chapter 5**

We reached the end of the passage. Now the way lead downwards, into the dark unknown. "This is the only access left to Pthumeru Ihyll. We have to descend that ladder", I instructed her, but she was still lost in her thoughts.

"...Ah, I think there once were myths going around in our village, and if I can remember correctly, it had something to do with a stone... But I don't believe in such rubbish. My parents do, though. They once wanted to travel to your city to ask for advice from a mentor or spiritual consultant or whatever such people are called. I told them not to. What a waste of money. My parents said that one wouldn't take any, but you better not trust such people."

I was concentrated on taking the first step of the ladder, but then I stopped. "Excuse me, what did you say?" - "Nothing. It was not important. Oh dear, it's going deep down there." I wanted to reply something, but I let it be and tried to focus again on descending. With my long fingers I held on to the ladder rungs as best as I could. My feet started to hurt a little. I looked up from time to time as if I wanted to ensure that she was still following me down and alright.

Finally I could see the bottom. When I felt solid ground under my feet again, I sighed and sat down. I ran my fingers through my hair. It felt brittle. "Oh no...", I thought.

"Oh yes. We finally made it down that ladder! This was hell." She offered me her hand to stand up. "Thanks." - "My name is Yahar by the way", she said. "Oh, lovely. I think I know where that name comes from." She smiled. "Yes. My parents are very devoted to our village, they love it, so they gave me this name. They say they wish that our family will always have our roots in this village. ...So you have been there?" - "Yes", I answered, "I like wandering around and strolling through different places. Your village is beautiful. It has various chapels, which gives it a prayerful atmosphere. I like that. It is a good place to turn inward. ...To be for yourself and put your mind to your inner tranquility instead of other people's concerns." I left the last sentence unspoken.

"And what are you called?" - "It doesn't matter who I am. It only matters what I did and did not do and what I will be able to do, in the next couple of hours. You're astonished about the numerous things I know? So have been doing others, and many of them turn their back on me. So I've always been more of a loner, but of course there are a lot of people who showed me their appreciation. Especially in my city..."

Yahar walked on. "You're strange. And you seem to lead a modest life." She looked at me. "Haha. Yes. Let's move on."

Our surrounding got lighter, but, as I had expected, our enemies stronger. Some of them were a bit more humanoid, and some of them even fought with fire. Sometimes I just stood there and watched Yahar fight. She was skillful and killed them all fast without them having to suffer a slow and painful death.

Sometimes when I was fighting, I couldn't hold back my thoughts about how this all could come so far and I used their bodies as some kind of outlet, with every enemy and malformed creature it became harder for me to control myself. Of course this didn't go unnoticed, but we both said nothing and tried to move forward as fast as possible. I asked myself "You can still talk to her calmly, why can't you also fight like that?" It was a real challenge to restrain my thirsty body.

Amongst other beings we encountered labyrinth spirits and ritekeepers, who were mainly focused on attacking my companion, which made it harder for her to fight them, but easier for me to surprise them with a heavy attack. All in all there were only few occasions when we both had to fight an enemy together.

I sometimes noticed some sort of tingling inside me, and I asked myself how long it was still going to take until we would reach the stone's location.

We found ourselves in a room with thick trunks and had just killed the last enemy, when we got surprised by a horde of black spiders. Presumably they got lured by the noises of our fight. I put the blame for that on myself.

I was certain that she knew what was going on, but she didn't say anything or reproached me.

"I am sorry. They heard me probably, I was really trying to-", I wanted to explain myself. "It's ok, I understand", Yahar said, "Let's move on." She walked past two dead spiders. "Oh no. Look, there are two doors. Which way are we going now?"

 **Chapter 6**

"I don't want to split again! But maybe...", she glanced at me, "...it's better. Or do you know which door is the right one?"

In fact I was very unsure. Everything was very complex and as confusing as a big maze. The position of the doors gave no clue about the direction in which they were leading. I ran my fingers through my frizzy hair. "Hmm... I cannot trust it anymore. Let's hope it works without...", I thought and started to get a little tense. "Give me one moment, please", I told her.

I tried to find my concentration. Concentration on my inner voice, my mind, my mental strength. Not on the misfortune we were in, the misery I felt responsible and guilty for.

"What are you gonna do?", I heard Yahar ask, but I was already walking towards the left door, trying to pay no attention to my surrounding and the situation I was in.

Now I was standing right in front of the door, very close, and slowly put the palm of my left hand on the wooden door with decorative metal inlays. I closed my eyes and slowed down my breathing. I felt that the wood was cold, but I tried to focus on what was behind it. What was it hiding? Was another room behind it? Or a tunnel? Were there traps? Traps... Statues... Stone... Fire... Air... Breath... Beasts? The queen... The stone... I was standing there and ingesting the impressions I was receiving. "Take them in..." I was now concentrating on myself. "Fingers... One. Two. Three. Four. Five... Through my fingers... Palm... Wrist... What's behind this door..." I slowly took my hand off the door, trying not to think of anything. I was looking into the void while I was accelerating my steps walking to the door on the right.

Now I slowly put the palm of my right hand on this door. It looked the same as the left door. I closed my eyes. My left arm was hanging down, it felt warm and weighty.

Right door... Instantaneously I noticed a significant difference; I now had to ascertain what was different. Was it the stone? Blood stone... Queen... Darkness... I felt a tingling in my fingers. A prompt sign. But nothing concrete. There was something behind this door. But was it a good omen or ominous? Tingling fingers... One. Two. Three. Four. Five... It was flowing at a lower pace. Slow. Viscuous. "UGH", I noticed a painful sensation in my wrist. It was somewhat painful, but I had to take my hand off the door carefully. I took a couple of steps backwards, laid back my head in my neck and breathed out loudly. I opened my eyes again and blinked.

I now tried to center my concentration on my both body parts. I didn't know what Yahar was doing, but I had to pay her no mind for a few more minutes.

I looked at my wrists and was trying to absorb everything I could read in them.

My left one was comfortably warm, I could see my veins beneath my skin. They resembled two thin dark lines, like snakes, that were forming a simple pattern. One coming from the left side of my forearm, going to the right, the other one coming from the right side of my palm, coiling its way to the left. Their ends were fading, crawling back deeper in my arm.

Now this looked like the shape of... the stone perhaps, or... most likely it had the shape of an eye. Why should it stand for an eye? Eyes do see, discover...

I felt some kind of aversion to concentrating on my right wrist. There were no veins to see, only my pale skin. What was I able to discern here?

Something unknown, something that would bring calamity; two rotting bodies... My hand started jerking. "AH!" I got a fright and I looked up. Now everything was clear to me.

 **Chapter 7**

"We have to take the left door", I said to Yahar with certainty in my voice. Only now I looked at her and saw that she was standing there, with her eyes wide open and incredulous head-shaking. "What have you just done?" I was walking towards the left door, but she was still standing motionless. I heard her ironic laugh. "So? Could you read your palms successfully?", she asked, but I didn't believe it was a serious question from her. "Yes, I could indeed. Please, we have to go. We're running out of time." I didn't feel like explaining myself now. "Ha, so you too believe in such hocus pocus? Seriously? And you think I'm gonna follow you blindly just because you think you can see the right way in your hand lines? I only believe in facts and what I can see with my own eyes! How can you start with such rubbish now, of all times?! You can believe in whatever spirituality you want, but here in this situation we have to be absolutely clear about what we're doing! Why don't we toss a coin?! No, really...", she laughed mockingly. "Believe in whatever you want and do whatever you want. I'm gonna find it out by myself now." She walked towards the door on the right. "No!", I shouted and grabbed her arm.

"No! Not again! I will not do the same mistake again! This time I will commit myself and ensure that she won't do anything that is gonna lead to disaster. I will do anything to prevent it! This time I will not let it happen!", I thought in a state of slight panic.

"OW! You're hurting me! Let me go right away!", she yelled and tried to pull her hand away. "I shouldn't have gone with you. We will not make it like that. At least you will not make it. It's too late. I'm gonna go by myself. I don't want to be so close to the goal and then get killed by you! It's only a question of time until you take leave of your senses. The way you fight gets more and more aggressive, it scares me. I won't-" I interrupted her. I felt an immense urge inside me, that we really didn't have much time left. "Trust me, one last time. We have to take the left door. I was never wrong, never. You have to take a decision now. There's no way back, nor time for you to go the other way. But you will die if you take the door on the right.

If I lose my mind, kill me. If I show the first sign of not being myself anymore, kill me without hesitation. I mean it. The most important thing is that you find and destroy the Yharnam stone. To prevent a disaster and to save all the beasts that once were humans and that are still alive. ...And to save me..."

As soon as I said these words, I noticed that my eyes started burning and it began to hurt inside my whole mouth. I groaned in pain. It came creeping up on my entire body. It overtook me so suddenly and fast that it brought me to my knees. I was covering my face with my hands. My skin was burning like fire. I screamed. My whole body was shaking.

"H...hey... Please... Hang in there. Please... Oh god..." Yahar's voice sounded terribly frightened, helpless and desperate. I uttered another piercing shriek of pain. The agony didn't even let me think clearly; it was almost impossible for me to speak. "Go! GO!", I yelled with my last ounce of strength. I saw how she gave a wince. She hurtled to the door on the left and lifted it up. Then I moaned again and closed my eyes.

 **Chapter 8**

When I regained consciousness, everything was quiet. I had to blink a couple of times and rub my eyes. I was no longer having pain, but I was still feeling strange and a bit numb. I was looking at my long fingernails touching the cold stone floor. At some places of my body my flesh was shining through. I tried to stand up. I held my head in a tilted position as it felt more comfortable. I was aware that everything of my appearance had become more terrifying, but at that moment I was glad that I hadn't lost my mind and that I was conscious at all. And in general, I was feeling more powerful again.

I picked up my weapons and looked around. Then I saw the open door on the left and before my inner eye I saw the last moment I could remember. „Yahar..." Now everything came back to me. I felt more alert than ever. I didn't know how much time had passed since I fell unconscious. My heart was beating fast. I didn't hesitate for a single second and ran through the left door. I was now in a room with some kind of round platform. It had a pile of stones and some candles in the middle. There were two dead gargoyles in one corner. I immediately stepped on the protruding stone in the ground and activated the platform. It seemed to take an eternity until the elevator finally reached the level above. I ran around the pillar and didn't care about the toppled sculptures and vases.

I was now in a bigger room again with traps on the walls. I saw various dead bodies on the ground. And blood. „Hopefully it was not Yahar's blood...", I thought.

The sight of the blood on the floor made me thirsty and aroused the lust to kill. My fingers gently patted my weapons. I shook my head and moved on. I spotted the next door on the right side at the end of the room. From afar noises reached my attentive ear. I was quite sure to have heard Yahar's voice. I ran through the door.

I now had the final confirmation that we had taken the right way. I found myself in an endlessly long room, like an alley, lined with statues. I heard sounds of fighting and a deeper male voice. I felt my bare feet running on the cold, hard stone ground, across the room. Right, left, right, left... The room was long, but my alert body was quick as lightning. It was hard to stop myself, I staggered. I almost reached them. They were immersed in the fight and hadn't noticed me yet. I saw her assailant with his back to me, he had longer, white hair and a reddish robe and I quickly realized that it had to be the Pthumerian descendant. „Where do you want to escape now, madam? Naive huntswoman..." I heard his evil laugh. I felt a tingling in my body, and the devilish feel of triumph. I wanted to slowly creep up behind him, but I couldn't wait to ram my sickles into his back. It was no longer possible for me to control my body, it was like it had its own will, independent from my mind. So I uttered a diabolical scream and ran towards the fight scene. The Phtumerian turned around. I cursed inwardly. His face conveyed surprise, but of course he had noticed me before I could attack him. Once more I was angry at myself.

„How come, you're attacking me? Do you still belong to the wrong side?", he addressed himself to me. I said nothing. I was holding on and waiting for what he was going to do.

I knew who he was. I had heard about him before.

„One second...", he said, „I know who you are! Ha! ...Let me tell you a secret..." He was slowly walking towards me, with a nasty smile on his face. „She told me about you, you know? She wanted to hear the words of someone...really...wise." He stressed the second last word. I held my weapons more tightly. „She wasn't sure about what to do. I brought her back on the right track. To top it off, I helped her finding it." He laughed out loud. „Yes, I helped her! And you... Your words became meaningless, meaningless!" He laughed again. „YOU are meaningless! Good-for-nothing!" I knew that he wanted to provoke me. I intended to stay rational and calm. At least my mind wanted to. My hands clasped my weapons. His vicious smile alone stoked up the wrath inside me. I screamed and tried to ram my right sickle into his ribs, but he jumped back. Yahar was still standing in the corner where he had threatened her. Actually I wanted her to stay back. I wanted to fight him alone. I wanted to kill him alone.

He helped her...

„Meaningless!", he shouted. He threw both of his blades towards me. I dodged to the side. I ran towards him. He was faster than I expected. It almost seemed as if he teleported himself from one spot to another. This fueled the rage inside me even more. It was like a game of cat and mouse. Suddenly he turned away from me and threw his blades at Yahar. I saw how she could jump aside at the last second. I shrieked in anger. This was my moment. I hid behind a statue. He quickly turned away from the huntress and looked around, on the chase for me. I took a deep breath and concentrated on holding back my bloodthirsty body. He looked to the other side. I dashed around the statue and with a triumphant loud scream I jumped and rammed my both sickles into his back. He cried in pain and sank to the ground. „You...still...meangless...", he whispered. Then he closed his eyes.

 **Chapter 9**

I still felt pure satisfaction when I was standing on the elevator platform, waiting for Yahar to come in and activate it. She sighed. "I don't know what's more horrifying... Killing someone or see someone being killed. I'm a hunter, but I'll never get used to it. But of course it was unavoidable. I suppose you know him, right? I don't know what he was talking about." I just shook my head.

"But thanks for your help. I guess you saved me. And I'm glad that you're...alright." She gazed at me for a moment while the elevator was moving down with a rattling noise. It eventually stopped and we arrived at another passage, with a door at the end. There was a yellow illuminated statue on each side. I felt my heartbeat accelerating. I knew that this was the final door. That we were finally there. That we finally made it to the queen. I looked at Yahar. We exchanged looks. "Oh god, I'm nervous", I heard her say. We were slowly walking towards the door.

"So, what's the strategy? I doubt that she'll surrender the stone voluntarily." Of course we wanted to let the queen alive, but if we had no other choice, we would have to fight against her and do everything in our power to destroy the stone.

I lifted up one of my sickles towards my chest to get my message across. She breathed out loud. No we were directly standing in front of the door. My companion hesitated.

"Do not think about all what happened. Do not think about all what could be. Only concentrate on your goal. You have this one chance." I tried to control my trepidation. My hands were shaking when they pushed open the heavy door.

The door wings creaked. We carefully entered. Now we found ourselves in a massive dome with a grand altar in the middle. At first glance we couldn't see anyone. The atmosphere was unique and momentuous, yet very tense as well.

We could hear soft whispers of a female voice. With a quiet tread we walked towards the center of the dome, towards the altar. If I hadn't known that the cause for the death of countless innocents was located here in this arena, I would have described these moments as almost magical. As I walked around the altar, I could see the train of a white dress. It was tremendously beautiful. My gaze meandered from the bottom upwards, tier by tier. I could now see Queen Yharnam, immersed in a prayer, with folded hands and her eyes closed.

I assumed that she wasn't holding anything in her hands. Where could the stone be? Maybe on the altar or hidden inside? What was the way to access that secret hollow? Or was it in a chest somewhere near the wall, veiled in obscurity?

For an instant I saw a movement in the dark edge of the arena.

It was silent. Too silent. The female voice had stopped praying. I turned around and saw the woman at the altar. She had turned away from it and was staring at me. My heart missed a beat. I saw surprise in her face. But she also looked like a predator that had spotted its prey. Her eyes were shining. I could see evil in them. How naive was it to hope that she wouldn't be possessed and surrender the stone just like that?

Beside the captivating expression in her face there was something else that caught my attention. As she had turned around, I was facing her now. There was blood on her dress, and not a little. She had an enormous blood stain above her abdominal region, running down several tiers of her dress.  
Once more my heart missed a beat. Thousands of thoughts were rushing through my mind. What exactly had happened to her?  
The stone... Her wish... This one chance... My head started aching. The stone was near... I could sense it. Before I could become aware of that tingling anxiety creeping up again on my body, I heard her say: "So we've met again! Unbelievable!" Her changed voice was frightening. "How dare you come here?! Hmm, so tell me, how does it feel?" She showed me a devilish smile. "How does it feel, to come too late?"  
I saw Yahar slowly sneaking up on her from behind. "Do you know how much loathing I feel for you? You almost prevented me from- AH!" Yahar tried to hit her from behind, but the queen drew a dagger and blocked her attack. "Foolish huntress! For a woman you're not very smart!" She wielded her sword. I seized this short moment to take a closer look at the altar where she had prayed, but I didn't find any clue for the stone's hiding spot. "What are you looking for? Now I withhold it from YOU!" I saw in surprise that she had transformed her dagger into a bigger sword, imbrued with blood. She pushed it to the ground and pillars of blood erupted near me. It came too unexpectedly that it was too late for me to dodge. I felt a violent pain shoot into the left side of my body. It complelled me to fall to the ground. It hurt terribly, but I was being even more in distress with my thoughts and mind. I did not really want to fight Queen Yharnam, much less kill her. "If you were able to annihilate the stone, would you be freed from your feeling of guilt, even if the queen lost her life in the fight?" My thoughts were torturing me.  
I noticed a painful, pulsating sensation in my left leg and arm, but I lifted myself up again. Meanwhile Yahar was able to distract the queen from me, and they were involved in fighting. I was standing there and watching them, with my weapons in my hands and ready to attack, but I was paralyzed. I saw Queen Yharnam launching fountains of blood at Yahar. She seemed to be completely focused on my courageous ally now, with her back to me, yet I was standing motionless. I started to look around again, keeping an eye on the fighting women.  
Was the stone somehow hidden inside the altar, or was anything else here? I walked away from the altar, intending to inspect the dark edge of the dome. I heard a muffled sound and saw how the queen had pushed the end of her sword to the ground again. At the last moment I leaped aside to evade another storm of blood spears. She strode towards me and started to swing her sword at me. She was repeatedly slashing her blood sword at me, and I had to bend from right to left very quickly. "You have no other choice..." With fear in my pounding heart, but determination I took advantage of her being focused on attacking at this moment, I swung my sickle and with its inner side I pulled her downwards. She screamed in surprise. I saw Yahar was standing nearby, so she additionally pushed the side of her spear in her back while the queen fell to the ground. Then everything was silent.  
"Is she dead? That's hardly possible. I didn't stab her."  
My body was shaking as I stared at the queen's motionless body. I prayed inwardly. "Please no, please no..." I was babbling to myself in nervosity. My head started aching.  
"No, she's still alive", Yahar said, "She's still breathing." The hunter sighed. "Why were you being so passive this time?" I just shook my head. "Er... Okay. So where is the Yharnam stone now?" I heard her ask, but her voice sounded as if it came from farther away. My heart was still pounding insanely fast. I felt how my twitching hands dropped my weapons. The arena seemed to be revolving around me as my surrounding went black and I felt my body hit the floor.

 **Chapter 10**

 _~ 15 months before ~_

„Is there anything else I can do for thee, my lord?" - "No, thank you, Netash. It is already late. I would like you to go home and take a rest. I will try to get some sleep now, too." - "Will I see thee tomorrow, sir?" - "Presumably not. I will not have any audiences tomorrow, so I would like to take this opportunity to have some time for myself only. Going for a walk, maybe in the greenwood, in nature, to hear the wind wander through the treetops and weaving its way through the leaves..." I looked up as if I were already there and could see the sun, with its rays caressing my pale face. "I understand, sir. A very good idea, my lord. Prithee let me know when I can serve thee again. I'm always happy-" I gave him a warm smile. "I know, Netash. Thank you. But you know, I see you as a loyal compeer, as my friend. Not as my servant." - "But, sir, thou shalt really think about employing somebody, several attendants. The queen of Yharnam City even hath three! And she is not even a saint like thee, my lord." I laughed. "You're really precious. I do not need that. You see, men are much more autonomous than women can ever be." He laughed out loud. "Hahaha, forsooth, sir! But it really is worthy of thee. And I do not understand why thou art here in this simple house instead of thy palace where thy audiences take place. This utilitarian building is not worthy of thee. And thy palace should be expanded. The city hath such wealth thanks to all the pilgrims anyway. It is absolutely amazing how many people pilgrimage here. The worship and all the sacrificial offerings thou receivest... And thou givest most of them away... I really hope that those people appreciate the treasures that thou givest them." - "Yes, they do. They are poor. I have no need for so many treasures. Being worshipped and wealthy is not the key to happiness, Netash. It honors me that so many pious ones from everywhere come here to laud me, and that they admire my sageness and spiritual consulting, but quite often I wish to be on a lonely island, to be only for myself and listen to the sound of the waves..." - "I understand, my lord." He nodded. "So I do not want to disturb thee any longer. Thou shalst have a good night, my lord."

I showed him to the door. "Thanks. Good night, Netash." My friend bowed deeply and disappeared in the dark night.

I closed the door and ran my fingers through my hair. I sat down in an armchair and closed my eyes. I enjoyed that moment of silence. The silence of the night. I felt too sluggish to get myself upstairs to bed. I yawned and rubbed my eyes, when suddenly there was a knock at the door. I stayed seated in the armchair and sighed. Was it again religious people who felt the need to tell me how much they lauded me or seeked my advice, in the middle of the night? Or was it Netash, who perhaps forgot something? Again I heared a knock. No, this was neither Netash nor people seeking advice. It wasn't soft or timid, it was a persistent, almost impatient knock, short and loud, several times. I stood up, but hesitated to go to the door. I looked out of the window, but couldn't see anyone. I heard the knocking for the third time. I got myself a knife and walked to the door. "Yes, please?", I shouted. I got no answer. I didn't know why I should open the door, but an inner voice told me to do so.

So I opened the door very slowly and slightly, ready to close it again fast. I took a glance through the partly open door. It was completely dark outside. I opened it a little more.

I had never expected what I was seeing now. A thin, tall, black-hooded figure was standing there, engulfed in the dark night, his face not visible, hidden in the hood. Before I could react, he bowed and said: "Your Holiness, I beg thy pardon for disturbing at this late hour. Thou art the destination of my three days' journey. I am here to bring thee the following message: Her majesty Yharnam, queen of Yharnam City, seeks thy holy advice, wise man. She asks thee for an audience in her palace; after the sun has risen seven times. I will deliver her thy answer. Will you accept her majesty's invitation, good saint?" - "I accept." - "What a blessing. We thank thee! Mayst thou repose well. We joyfully await thy coming. Fare thee well." The shadow bowed deeply and disappeared in the arms of the night.

 _Seven days later_

My heart was beating fast when I walked up the many steps to Queen Yharnam's palace. I was wearing the best garb I could find in my closet, in between all the chain mail and clothing an ordinary man would wear, although I was not. Some of it was tattered the weather allowed it, I preferred a skirt and took my shoes off. I loved being on my bare feet, especially when I seeked tranquility in the forest and could feel the rustling leaves on the earthy soil.

I followed a shadow through the grand palace. I didn't know if it was the same one who visited me that night one week before. The palace was gigantic. Almost every room I went through was very tall, with noble paintings on the ceiling, statues and glamorous chandeliers. Everything gleamed and glittered. I needed a while until my eyes got used to the sumptuousness.

Everyone I saw in the palace, be it court servants or royal members, was very respectful and bowed deeply as I walked along. Some of them crossed themselves and a maidservant had tears in her eyes. I felt honored about their reverent welcome, on the other hand I was used to such reactions.

Now the queen's shadow had announced me, he signaled me to enter. I stepped in and he closed the door behind him.

The room I was in now wasn't as spacious as the other ones I had seen, but it was also tall and commodious. It had a purple carpet on the floor and a couple of comfortable seats. I saw a chimney and a side table with beverages on it. Various pictures adorned the wall.

The queen was standing by one of the windows, she was wearing a stunning white dress and had a thoughtful expression on her face. I expected her to be conceited and wasteful, after having walked through her pompous residence, yet that facial expression and her aura conveyed something different. Something that I liked.

I bowed and so did she. She remained in this position for a long moment. When she straightened up again, she opened the conversation.

„Holy sage from Loran, I thank thee for traveling the wide land to come to the city of Yharnam, and to my palace." - „It is a great honor to be here, Your Majesty." I bowed once more. „The honor is all mine. Numerous seasons have gone by since I last visited the wonderful city of Loran. Many stories have reached my ear, wondrous tales about thy bottomless fount of knowledge, wisdom and spirituality; countless pilgrims traveling to Loran to worship its saint. A saint with no desire for wealth nor sacrificial offerings, preferring frugality and supporting the poor." I nodded and continued listening to her. „Numerous narratives I have heard, about thee and thy city. And also... about the neighboring city, Pthumeru Ihyll..." She paused. I was unsure about what she was getting at. „Prithee continue, Your Majesty. What is it thou desirest to know?" She was fidgeting with her hands. „I am certain thou art in the know about it. When I visited the city, I heard the words of a wisely speaking man, a person that is said to be a descendant of the ancestors of the city of Pthumeru Ihyll. I heard him speak about a wondrous special piece of mineral matter, mysterious and legendary, bearing the name of our city, Yharnam, and the name of mine and my royal family's, passed on from generation to generation. This mineral piece is said to be imbibed with a special kind of blood, a holy sanative fluid that is the cure for any disease, according to legend. Is not this a twist of fate that this mysterious stone bears our name?"

Of course I knew the numerous legends around the Yharnam stone, which was said to be hidden deep beneath the city of Pthumeru Ihyll, but I was wondering why Queen Yharnam seemed to be so fond of it. Did she really intend to go out in search of it? I didn't know myself if the bruits were true. Did she want me to find this out?

„Queen Yharnam, may I allow myself to ask thee why the sagas around the stone have caught thy attention?" I sensed that excitement was rising in her inside. „Do they correspond to the truth? Where doth Mother Earth have this treasure hidden? Prithee, holy sage, reveal it to me." She bowed deeply.

I hesitated and cleared my throat. „Thou saidst it, Your Majesty. May the legends be true or not, the stone is said to be somewhere deep underground, belonging to Mother Earth. We shall not take a mother's child. If there is a disease that-" I stopped talking. I was completely astonished and astounded that the queen started to sob and had tears in her eyes. I took one step towards her. „Your Royal Highness, my humble apologies. What-" She sniveled. „That is my misery. If I had a child at all... I would do anything to have my womb blessed with child! All gold and glitter is what my eyes see, but what is it worth if my heart is in tears, longing for a child, longing to feel a mother's love?" She wiped away her tears. „I see that mysterious mineral piece as my hope, perhaps it will not only cure diseases, but also fulfill my dearest wish to become a mother..."

For a longer moment I was out of words. I took another step closer to her. „Oh, Your Majesty, do not lose thyself in desperation. And do not lose thy hope. It is neither our place to take influence on Mother Nature, nor to hasten its timetable. Impatience is not the nourishment with what the seeds of life are watered. I am certain thy worries are unfounded and thy dearest wish will soon sprout in a fertile soil. Let me see..." - „Prithee, do see it for me, holy sage from Loran."

I took a thick section of my long black hair and wrapped it around my arm. Then I gently put my palm on her abdominal region. I closed my eyes and concentrated on my hand and wrist. I was waiting to receive various impressions. I felt her regular breathing under my hand. Silence enclosed us. My hand felt warm and I felt a slight tingling in my wrist. A warm, fertile soil where seeds could grow...

I opened my eyes and looked in hers, shining, hopeful as they were.

„It is fine, Your Majesty. There is nothing to worry a-" I was about to take off my hand, when I felt a strong, stinging sensation in my wrist. What was it that struck like lightning, so sudden and violent?

It wasn't her womb I was receiving something from. It was her thoughts. She was still thinking about the legendary Yharnam stone. The stone... „AH!" I gave a wince. Now I was being flooded with impressions. I was overwhelmed, so that I quickly took my hand away. I heard Queen Yharnam's frightened voice, but I wasn't able to understand what she said. My long hair was still wrapped loosely around my arm. It felt like a thick, black snake that was about to strangle its victim. I was overcome with an immense sensation of fear. I saw Queen Yharnam's eyes. Eyes... An oval stone... Red blood stone... Blood... Death... Calamity... A curse... „OAGH!" It felt as if someone cut my wrist. Slitting... Deep... Sinking... Everything was going to sink down... Cities underground... Into darkness...

I looked at my black hair. I put it behind my shoulder, but the strangling sensation remained. Black... Black edge... Black fur... Beast... A tiny beast... Growing... No head... No life...

My heart was pounding. The blurry images before my inner eye were coming closer... A headless, dark shape was coming closer, from the obscure edge of a circular arena...

I put my hands in front of my eyes, as if I tried to protect myself from those horrifying images.

Then it was over. I felt how my tense body started to slowly relax again. My heartbeat and breath were still fast. The queen looked at me utterly aghast. „Oh d-dear..." I was overwhelmed and still out of breath that I didn't bother and sat down on the purple carpet. I closed my eyes again to cope with all those sinister impressions that had overcome me.

„Art thou fine? What hast thou seen? I am afraid." The queen's voice was trembling. I stood up slowly. „I... I... Thou hast my apologies for this behavior of mine. Such an occurrence... I had never experienced be-before... Your Majesty, I do not know what it was... I saw the stone... I can not interpret all those portents, yet I must warn thee. Do never go out in search of the Yharnam stone. It is accursed. I do not know what would come to pass, but it would bring us incredible tragedy. Prithee... be warned..."

The queen shook her head, showing incredulousness. „What art thou talking about? What would come to pass? How is it accursed when it is said to cure any disease? And to be an aid to fulfill my dearest wish? How can the name of Yharnam be in relation to curse and calamity? Dost thou not have respect for the name of Yharnam, our royal family's name? Dost thou not have respect for my most longed-for wish? How canst thou talk as if thou were a prophet, but not prophesy what would occur?" Her voice and face conveyed irritation. „Your Royal Highness, my apologies, but take me seriously. Thou wilt be alright, but do not strive to look for the stone. Those horrifying-" She interrupted me. „I ask thee to leave now", she said in a strict and determined voice. I looked at her pleadingly. „Prithee, Queen Yharnam... Take my words..."

 **Chapter 11**

When I opened my eyes again, I knew that I had been unconscious for a much longer time than I was the first time. I was disappointed about myself. We were so close to finding and annihilating the stone, why couldn't I be resilient in these last moments? I felt numb, but I shook this feeling off in annoyance. I stood up. I was feeling the same way as I did before. I looked down at my body. I sighed desperately. The Yharnam stone was still not destroyed. I had to help Yahar find and extinguish it... I looked around. The queen was still lying on the floor, unconscious. I wanted to walk up to her motionless body, when I saw something behind the altar.

Something gigantic, but what had not been there before. I only saw a part of it, but what I saw let my heart beat insanely and the anxious tingling inside my body rose to a new extreme and torturing degree. I saw more of it as I got closer. It was standing with its back to me. A gigantic, furry body.

Where did the beast come from? The answer struck like lightning through my shaking body. It had already been there. That vague movement in the dark edge of the dome... An inconspicious movement of a small body... It must have grown with every minute. Beastly growth nourished by the accursed blood stone... Now I also knew how it could get here from the start. I felt nauseated.

The beast had noticed me and turned around, with a quick, gruesome leap. It was indeed big. And with every moment longer it would grow... It had no head. No head, no life... I thought back to the impressions I had received in Queen Yharnam's palace. It had human-like limbs, was sometimes on four, sometimes on two feet, a massive, humanoid beast with no head. Like an acephalocardius... Now I knew everything. My head ached terribly.

The beast was walking towards me, so I quickly got underneath it and ran to the other side of the dome to pick up my sickles. A bit further away from them I saw another body lying on the floor. I stopped. Yahar. I was so shocked that I almost literally lost ground. „No, no, she is not dead, she is not dead, just like the queen she will wake up again... Or did it kill them both?" I screamed to drown my horrible thoughts. If I hadn't fallen unconscious, I could have protected both of them. If I hadn't disclosed to the queen that the stone really existed, this all wouldn't have happened. It was all my fault... I started crying. I was about to lose my mind, I sensed the stone's radiating power on me. But I didn't let myself go. It was my duty to annihilate the stone and put it to an end. I would save Yahar and Queen Yharnam... And all the innocents left... The beast scourge wouldn't spread unstoppably...

I wanted to run to my companion, but the headless beast shoved me from behind and I fell to the ground. „Don't lure it to her..." I stood up and got underneath it and started hitting its legs. The beast didn't utter a sound, it had neither head nor voice, but I sensed its vicious fury and pure lust for blood and death.

I summoned all my remaining power to fight it. I saw its long legs and big, furry body, I saw my hands wielding my sickles insanely, I felt them hit its foot and I saw blood splatters, I felt it smashing my body on the floor, but it all felt like a dream, a horrible, inconceivable nightmare, I was kind of absent. I fought automatically, like a machine, like a trap. You stepped on it and it would be triggered. An emotionless statue that shot a deadly fire arrow at you. Having no other purpose. Showing no mercy...

I remembered Yahar's words when she said the way I fought scared her. I did not care about what would happen to myself. I did not care about my appearance. I only wanted to survive to put it all to an end, to make up for my mistake. My life as a worshipped saint seemed to me so long ago, as if it was from a previous life. Now I was a sinner...

The giant beast hit me several times. I felt so desperate, alone and helpless. I would have preferred to keep lying there and not stand up again. I saw Yahar's body. „No. It's not too late. Don't be a coward now." I got myself up and faced the beast. „Come on, let's fight till the bitter end. I am not a beast like you. I have feelings. I will let my weakness be my strength."

I screamed and ran towards my headless antagonist. I felt the adrenaline rising in my body. Then suddenly my left wrist started itching. It hurt like fire burning in my skin. Fire... I was searching in the left-sided layers of my tattered skirt while I tried to dodge the beast's claw swipes. Then I found it – a small piece of fire paper. I was now underneath the beast and tried to get farther away from it to gain more time. I quickly rubbed the coarse paper on one sickle, but it only emitted a few sparks. I tried it again, but without success. I screamed out of frustration. I threw it away and intended to leap on the beast's left foot, but it was too predictable. It kicked me with its hind foot back to the hard ground of reality. I felt an excruciating pain in my torso. I put my hands in front of my face and felt a warm, red fluid running down my long fingers. I tried to support myself with my bloody hands and get up again, but that severe pain in my torso drew all the energy out of me. I sensed the beast's steps on the floor. I saw it coming nearer. I turned my head in the other direction. I didn't want to see it. I didn't want to see how it would kill me now. I looked at the altar, and spotted that small piece of fire paper on the ground. I looked at Queen Yharnam, not lying very far away from me. I saw her bloodstained dress, and her dainty hands. And I saw something right next to her slender fingers. It looked like a stone, like a red blood stone...

My heart missed a beat. Another wave of adrenaline overcame me. And I felt... relief. My heart was beating impossibly fast. I turned around. The beast was about to end my life with a last hit. I noticed that it had grown even bigger. Now everything happened within a couple of seconds. I had no time to think. Only to react. „You have this one chance." With triumphant stomping it was approaching me. With my right hand I grabbed my sickle next to me, with my left hand I dug my fingers deep into the ground and pulled myself forward with all my might. I picked up the fire paper. „Please, please, have mercy on the poor sinner..." While trying to somehow move forward on my knees, I rubbed the coarse paper, my weapon in my shaking hand. Blazing flames started to come out. I felt the scorching heat near my hand, and I felt tears running down my bloody cheek. Everything was blurred, but I didn't lose my focus on that oval, red spot in front of me. This was the moment I had been desperately waiting for, for so, so long...

I raised my weapon and gathered all my strength and hit the Yharnam stone with my flaming sickle, with force, willpower and perseverance, with desperation and triumph, with pain and relief, with my holy and my sinful past belonging to me, with my shaking and bloody body, with blowing hair and tingling wrist, with grief for all those who let their lives, with hatred for the stone and the beast scourge and all what happened, and with hope and love for all those who were and would be by my side.

The Yharnam stone shattered into countless pieces and crumbled into dust.

I turned away to protect myself from the hail. It was raining pieces of blood minerals. It was raining hope and redemption. An indescribable moment.

I saw how the shape of the beast had gotten in position for a deadly jump, but it turned into a gigantic cloud of red dust.

I also felt that something was going on in my body. I felt cold, shuddering waves from head to toe, I felt changes on the inside and outside, I felt like a serpent that was shedding its skin. It was a completely new and unfamiliar, but pleasant senation. I felt like a phoenix, yet I didn't feel death and evil were burning to ashes, rather I felt good was ascending again, healthy and pure, with all sins and beasthood being gone. Everything was now warm inside me. I got back to a normal posture. Once more I looked down at my body. I sighed and cried out of relief.

I looked around in the arena. No beast. No evil. No Yharnam stone. No more deaths...

I saw that Queen Yharnam had regained consciousness, still sitting on the ground, disoriented. For that moment I let her be and walked by. Yahar was still lying on the floor.

„Yahar, get up." I still was out of breath from fighting against the beast. And because I was indescribably relieved. I hardly noticed that I had my voice back; the voice I had before the beast scourge had spread.

I became worried. I shook her gently „Yahar!" Only now I noticed that my hands were bloody. That her body was bloody. I was shocked. I took off her helmet. Her eyes were closed. There was only little blood on her face. She was pale, but it didn't look like her natural skin tone. She looked younger than I had expected. „So young, and what she has already gone through..." Another wave of sadness and guilt came over me.

I checked her pulse. Fortunately it was there, yet it was weak. I patted her cheeks. Finally she opened her eyes, very slowly. Still dazed, she blinked a couple of times.

„Yahar! Thank god! It is over! We did it! The Yharnam stone is extinguished. Do you have pain? Can you stand up?" - „I... I don't know", she croaked. „My belly... That damn beast... It was so str-strong..."

To my horror I noticed that the blood stain on her garb had grown. I took the rope from around her hooded helm and bound it around her to stop the blood flow.

„Am-amazing... I knew you did it before you told me." - „Excuse me?" I was still desperately trying to stop the blood flow. I carefully ripped off my top to get another bandage. „I could literally see it in your face." She was smiling weakly. „It's amazing how you look now. You should have seen how abominable it was before."

Her wound looked extremely worrying, but it comforted me a bit that she was trying to tease me again. „Look, Queen Yharnam seems to be fine, too." I did not have the time to turn around. I had enough to worry about, again...

„Now I will n-never know who you are...", Yahar whispered. „H-hey, what do you mean? Of course you will. We will get out of here! I'm going to help you. I am strong. Don't worry! I can carry you. It's... It's going to stop bleeding, I think it has gotten w-weaker..." My hands were shaking again. That feeling of helplessness was incredibly tormenting.

„H-Hey, do you know...", I tried to keep her conscious and cheer her up. „Your parents once wanted to travel to my city, to Loran. To see me and ask for advice. But their daugher told them not to, because she thought I would take their money. 'You better not trust such people', she says." She looked at me with wide eyes. „W-What? Y-You? That is you? Ah... Now things become clearer. Am-amazing. I'm speechless." - „What did they want to ask advice for? They can be very, very proud of their daughter. I will tell them when I have brought you back to your village. They have the bravest-" - „P-Please, can you promise me somthing?", she whispered quietly. I looked in her eyes. „What is it?" - „Can... Can you tell them that I will always love..." Her eyes drooped slowly. I could see every lash of her eyes. They caught her tear, before it could run down her cheek. Her face turned to the side.

„Yes! Yes I will tell... No! No! Yahar... No... no... no... no..." I shook my head heavily as I kept patting her cheek and shaking her. „NO! NO!" My heartbeat didn't want to decelerate. I didn't want to let it get to me, the thought that she passed away. I didn't want to check her pulse. I didn't want to check her breathing. I didn't want to see the blood still running down on her body. „NO!" I kept screaming. My desperate voice resounded in the massive dome. „Don't leave me now!", I wanted to shout, „We will go back together! Your parents will see you again!" But all I was able to bring out was desperate screaming and crying, and the same word, „No... No..."

I laid my head down on her body. I could still hear her voice in my head. „My name is Yahar by the way... My parents are very devoted to our village, they love it, so they gave me this name... They say they wish that our family will always have our roots in this village... I love my parents above all else, and my home means a lot to me..."

I gasped for breath because I couldn't stop sobbing and whimpering. I didn't want to think of her parents. I didn't want to fulfill her last wish. How should I be able to tell them what happened? How should I be able to tell them how much she loved them, with having to break their hearts forever? How could she ask me to do this?

I looked up at her face, desperately hoping that it was only a horrible nightmare, but it was not. Her face was pale and lifeless. I couldn't stop crying and screaming. The headless beast killed her. My grief and desperation turned into wrath. I had no chance to avenge her anymore. If I had known that... I destroyed the Yharnam stone and the beast crumbled to dust. It simply crumbled to dust! It died quickly and painlessly. It didn't even really die. It simply turned to dust. „NOOO!" I started pounding my fists on the floor. They began to hurt terribly, but I did not care. I didn't know how much time went by until I just let myself sink down on the floor, spreadeagled and with my face on the ground.

I was already older than she was. I would grow old. And she died so young. She could not spend all these years that would still have lied ahead of her. I would never see her again. I would never talk to her again. Nor could her parents and all the other people who knew her. Like a flower she was torn out of the meadow, without coming into full bloom; having to wither... But her roots would still remain deep in the ground. She would never be forgotten...

I felt a hand softly touch my shoulder. I winced and got up in the next second. But it wasn't Yahar. It was Queen Yharnam, kneeling next to me. I didn't want to turn around and see that my brave companion's body was still lying there, without any sign of life. I heard a quiet, trembling voice. „Oh, holy sage from Loran, I wish I were able to put into words what my eyes have seen and are seeing at this moment, and what indescribable grief and sadness my heart is feeling. My deepest condolences for thy loss. Her heart was full of courage and intrepidity, and now our hearts will be filled with the memory of her courageous and intrepid acts. Ye both are the bravest beings that have saved us all. Prevented the catastrophe from growing into spheres that no one of us could ever imagine-" - „It is all my fault... It is all my fault... Countless dead; the stone is destroyed, yet she had to let her life... I was not there to protect her. It is all my fault. I was there, at thy palace and I disclosed the stone's existence. I should have kept it a secret. And the sinister omen I received through my wrist and hair... I should have ensured that thou wilt not search for it. It could all have been averted..." I fell into sobbing and whimpering again.

„Oh, good saint, I feel that thy words come from deep in thy heart, so honest and sorrowful... My soul cries upon hearing them. How can it be thy fault? How couldst thou have prevented me from searching it? Only being kept in a cage, like a recalcitrant animal, would have detained me. I was caught in a tunnel of darkness, blackened by my own desperate impatience, the only light I was longing for was having a child... Listen to my words, holy lord, after the audience I was driven by dissatisfaction, like a young girl that did not want to accept a ban, I seeked the descendant from Pthumeru Ihyll, to hear the words I wanted to hear, to search for the legendary Yharnam stone and to have my wish for child fulfilled. The Pthumerians were researching and investigating, I could not think of any other thing, I even rushed them into digging deep holes and carving out a tunnel in Mother Earth. The descendant aided me and eventually we did find the myth-enshrouded mineral piece.

How I could not wait to have my wish fulfilled... I was caught in my tunnel of egoism. I did not respect thy warning. Thou hast done everything right. Thy words were the utter truth, but I stopped my ears, like a stubborn young girl...

I eventually had success, at least I thought. The stone was a blessing to my womb. But this blood stone should have been left well in peace, in the womb of Mother Earth, where it belonged. Like thou saidst... So, having watered the seeds of life with impatience and taken this mineral piece from Mother Earth, a malicious plant began to grow inside my womb... It was a child, a child of evil... a bloodthirsty beast with no head, and no heart... Carrying it in my womb I was possessed, too. And soon the beast plague was about to spread... With the Pthumerian descendant as the next one affected, spreading it among the inhabitants of Pthumeru Ihyll, and subsequently its neighboring city, Loran... And the cities began to descend and build an intricate underground labyrinth, starting from where we dug and hurt Mother Earth...

When thou and thy companion arrived, my beastly child had already been born, sneaking around in this arena's obscurity, and growing with every second...

I do not remember well, but although we were possessed by evil, radiating from the stone, I felt a mother's feelings in my poor, haunted heart...

Has there ever been a greater sin? The fault is all mine, and I wish there were a fitting price I am obliged to pay, my mere life can never be sufficient.

I do not want to imagine how large the tendrils of this weed of evil would have grown if thou hast not found it and extinguished its core... Thou art a god, holy sage, thou art our savior, prithee, do not blame thyself... thou hast a heart of gold; all treasures of this planet are not enough to be offered to thee, Your Holiness... Memorials should be built for thee and thy companion. Memorials, as high as they can be built, I wish to build them with my own hands, so high that they reach the sky and heaven...

I must carry the weight of my sin forever... Prithee... I beg thy forgiveness..." She folded her hands and kneeled before me.

I noted that her words had a triste melody, it sounded like a prayer, but I only perceived them without emotion.

I knew that it was her who didn't heed my warning, and I was sure that, maybe even if I had lied to her and claimed that the myths around the Yharnam stone were not true, she would have searched for it. She would have searched for it because she was under the Pthumerian descendant's influence, because the Pthumerians would not have stopped their research. Because humans would never stop disregarding prohibitions and look into the obscure unknown and be lured by the temptation of being able to cure any disease and being immortal, and to outsmart the power of Mother Nature. I was very tired of this, and I was tired of wanting to blame somebody. Be it the headless beast, be it Queen Yharnam, be it the Pthumerians and the descendant, be it myself. I looked at Yahar's lifeless body and started crying again.

„Oh, holy sage from Loran, every whimper of thee is like a deep sting in my heart. Thou shalst find shelter. Now the stone is annihilated, and the remaining beings who survived will again see the world with the eyes of a human. That would be indescribably wonderful. And mayhap Pthumeru Ihyll and thy city will ascend from these underground labyrinths again. So we shall leave. We shall find a safe place, where there was no beast plague, and wait what Mother Earth will do. I am certain thy wonderful city of Loran will be in bloom as never before.

I wish to stay here and let my life, sacrifice it to Mother Earth, to offer my humble and sinful self for what I had taken. Yet I will be thy companion and do everything in my power to ensure that thou arrivest safely." She bowed again deeply. I was still kneeling next to Yahar.

„Prithee, take my palace in Yharnam. It now shall be thine. May all thy wishes be fulfilled." - „No. I do not wish to go to Yharnam", I said and stood up slowly. „Oh. Whatsoever thou wishest, Your Holiness."

There was only one place where I wanted to go now, where I had to go now. I carefully lifted Yahar's body from the bloody ground. „I will never forget you. You will always be remembered. I will fulfill your last wish. And I will fulfill your parents' wish. That your family will always have their roots in your village. You belong to your home... This is my pledge to you.", I whispered, holding her body in my arms while I was walking through the door of the arena, Queen Yharnam following me, on my way back. On my way to Yahar'gul.


End file.
